Going viral : Homeless veteran video outspeeds Selena Gomez

Transformational video is a hit

A video that shows a time-lapse of a homeless army veteran being transformed from a gritty, bearded man into James Bond is outpacing the likes of Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber in popularity.

The inspiring short video shows how Jim, an army veteran who has struggled with poverty and alcoholism for years is given a complete makeover to restore him to his former glory. The video, at just 2 minutes and 30 seconds reveals a hidden struggle that many Americans face, but the transformation that he goes through, the beard trimming, the new clothes, the new appeal, is very touching.

Jim : The homeless veteran makeover

A group of volunteers came together to make the time-lapse video, and encourage viewers to donate to Degage Ministries, a non-profit that helps homeless veterans.

The video makes it clear that a makeover can’t undo the damage of years of poverty, but the message that it gives, is visual proof that how we look can dramatically alter how we feel about ourselves and how we view others. Although this is just a step in the right direction, it’s a great example of activism and how videos can demonstrate to people the good work of charities, and their intentions.

At the time of writing the video has over 8.4 million views, and is averaging over 2 million views a day with 39000 likes and 13000+ comments.

Creating a time-lapse for your videos

The use of a time-lapse in this video demonstrates a makeover that has taken hours and is condensed into a short montage. This effect can be created in several ways. One is to leave a camera on a tripod recording for a fixed duration, and then speeding it up in the editing phase. Another way, is to use a DSLR camera
along with an Aputure Timer to set up interval shots.